Each link in the treatment of exhaust emissions is not a 'lawless place', and each link cannot be ignored. The automobile emission performance maintenance station should return to its original role as a "rehabilitation center" for vehicles with excessive emissions, and control the "last gate" of the governance chain. On December 1st, the third round and fifth batch of central ecological environment protection inspection teams publicly announced some typical cases. According to reports, among the 5 motor vehicle emission testing institutions randomly inspected at a certain location, 2 of them issued false inspection and testing reports for multiple motor vehicles, once again exposing the stubborn problem of fraud in the field of motor vehicle emission testing. Falsification of motor vehicle emission testing is no longer a new phenomenon. The media has reported that with the sharp increase in the number of testing institutions, "internal competition" has led many testing institutions to have ulterior motives: online shopping cheaters tamper with testing data, temporary installation of three-way catalytic converters to get by, and directly finding cars to "test" unqualified vehicles... Various cheating methods have made exhaust testing a "formality". Such fraudulent behavior not only tramples on the bottom line of ecological environmental protection and threatens public health and safety, but also directly crosses the legal red line. In severe cases, it may constitute criminal offenses such as damaging computer information systems and providing false certification documents. Efforts have been made to crack down on detection fraud. In September 2024, six departments including the Ministry of Ecology and Environment launched a special crackdown on third-party organizations in the field of motor vehicle emission inspection, targeting the persistent problem of fraudulent testing institutions; In May of this year, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment and nine other departments jointly issued a document to refine the rectification measures from multiple dimensions, including inspection and governance, source management, data sharing, and intelligent supervision. But under the high-pressure situation, why does the phenomenon of fraud persist despite repeated bans? The answer lies in an important part of exhaust emission control - the automobile emission performance maintenance station (M station). According to relevant regulations, vehicles with unqualified exhaust emissions must enter M station for professional maintenance, and can only be put on the road after passing the re inspection. It can be seen that the positioning of M station was originally a "rehabilitation center" for unqualified vehicles and the "last gate" of the governance chain. But now, some M stations have repeatedly "fallen behind" and become "boosters" for fraud: some M station staff do not understand professional maintenance techniques and can only rely on selling cheating equipment and issuing false maintenance certificates to deceive and pass the inspection; Some people start charging exorbitant repair fees or use their qualifications to directly request "unlocking fees" and transmit qualified data to the testing site without actual repair; Moreover, inspection agencies divert unqualified vehicles to designated M stations, forming a "community of interests" to share the profits together. In order to save time and costs, car owners are forced or even actively involved in this "unwritten rule", further solidifying the counterfeit ecology and forming a vicious cycle. The side effect of M station fueling the fraud chain and stopping the fire reminds us that in order to control the fraud of motor vehicle emission testing, it is not enough to just focus on testing institutions. Strengthening the governance of M station is also key. Firstly, it is necessary to ensure the "access control" of M station, and take the professional technical ability of exhaust gas treatment and the qualifications of practitioners as the core audit standards. Qualified entities should be screened from the source and business entities without professional ability should be eliminated. Secondly, it is necessary to strengthen the regular supervision and inspection of M stations. M stations that have engaged in false maintenance, collusion for profit, and repeated complaints will have their maintenance qualifications revoked in accordance with the law, and their illegal activities will be severely cracked down on in accordance with the law. Especially, it must be emphasized that car owners can choose qualified M stations for repairs, rather than just going to a specific one, cutting off the fraudulent chain of inspection agencies and designated M stations partnering to monopolize profits. Each link in the treatment of exhaust emissions is not a 'lawless place', and each link cannot be ignored. When M station returns to its original role as a "rehabilitation center" for vehicles with excessive emissions, and testing institutions dare not or cannot falsify, car owners naturally embark on a compliant path of repairing problems and retesting according to procedures, and exhaust emission control gradually forms a virtuous cycle. (New Society)